After successful completion of the course, students are able to

• identify the mechanically relevant properties of wood for structural designs,
• select and utilize market-relevant wood-based materials and composite components for specific tasks,
• model rod-shaped components and connection elements and
• perform verifications in accordance with EC5, both manually and with software support using RFEM, considering ultimate limit state, serviceability limit state, and fire safety.
• design wood structures with material-specific layouts, considering aspects such as manufacturing, assembly, and durability in the structural implementation.

The course consists of a lecture part and a practical part and covers the following topics:

• Fundamentals of the mechanical properties of wood
• Introduction to the mechanics of market-relevant wood-based materials (rods, surfaces)
• Explanation of the functioning of important types of fasteners
• Presentation of relevant structural components as a basis for design
• Verification according to current standards (serviceability, ultimate limit state, fire) with a focus on completeness and feasibility using commercial structural analysis software
• Structural implementation with regard to aspects of execution, assembly, and durability

The focus is on learning computer-based modeling and verification strategies in timber construction. The exercise tasks will be presented and explained in the form of lectures. Based on these lectures, each exercise task is to be worked on as a home and group assignment (small groups, ideally consisting of three persons). The completed assignments need to be uploaded to TUWEL by the specified deadline.

To work on the exercise tasks, you will need access to the commercial structural analysis software from Dlubal, which includes programs like RFEM 5, RSTAB 8, and RX-HOLZ 2. Licensed copies of these programs are available in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Computer Laboratory. The programs RFEM 5, RSTAB 8, and RX-HOLZ 2 are only supported on the Microsoft Windows operating system. If you wish to install these programs on your personal device, please apply for a free student license in advance for the product generation: "RFEM 5, RSTAB 8, ..." using the following link:

https://www.dlubal.com/en/education/students-and-schools/request-or-renew-free-student-license

Presentations as part of the lecture and exercise parts. Building upon the presentations, four exercise tasks need to be prepared as a home and group assignment.

Die mündliche Prüfung ist für Studierende vorgesehen, die den Übungsteil bereits vor dem Wintersemester 2023 abgeschlossen haben. Für diese Studierende besteht die Möglichkeit, die zwei zusätzlich angebotenen mündlichen Prüfungstermine zu nutzen oder die schriftliche Prüfung über die aktuellen Lehrinhalte abzulegen.

Assessment will be carried out through exercise assignments and a written examination, as outlined in the presence examination regulations (https://www.tuwien.at/cee/imws/lehre). For students who have completed the exercise part before the winter semester of 2023, there is the option to utilize the two additional oral examination dates (see Exams) or to take the written examination covering the current course content.

Materials are available in the TUWEL course.

Prior knowledge from the courses Building Materials, Building Mechanics, Mechanics 1 and 2, Strength of Materials, and Structural Analysis is recommended.